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A Study of an Individual's Self-Representation on Instagram in Accordance with Impression Management Theory Breyanna Marie Blackwell East Tennessee State University

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A Study of an Individual's Self-Representation on Instagram in Accordance with Impression Management Theory Breyanna Marie Blackwell East Tennessee State University East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works 5-2017 "To Share or Not to Share:" A Study of an Individual's Self-Representation on Instagram in Accordance with Impression Management Theory Breyanna Marie Blackwell East Tennessee State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd Part of the Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Mass Communication Commons, Public Relations and Advertising Commons, and the Social Media Commons Recommended Citation Blackwell, Breyanna Marie, ""To Share or Not to Share:" A Study of an Individual's Self-Representation on Instagram in Accordance with Impression Management Theory" (2017). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3257. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3257 This Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. "To Share or Not to Share:" A Study of an Individual's Self-Representation on Instagram in Accordance with Impression Management Theory ____________________________ A thesis presented to the faculty of the Department of Media and Communication East Tennessee State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Professional Communication ____________________________ by Breyanna M. Blackwell May 2017 ____________________________ Susan Waters Ph.D., Chair Stephen Marshall Ph.D. Kelly Price-Rhea Ph.D. Keywords: Instagram, Impression Management Theory, Social Media, Self-Representation, Self-Disclosure ABSTRACT "To Share or Not to Share:" A Study of an Individual's Self-Representation on Instagram in Accordance with Impression Management Theory by Breyanna Blackwell This research study examined what the motivations and consequences of self-disclosure on Instagram were as well as its correlation with Impression Management Theory. The research used a 37 question survey which was distributed on social media, through the Department of Media and Communication at ETSU as well as a public speaking class. There were 232 participants in this study who were 18 or older and used Instagram. Research found that individuals’ self-disclose using levels of relationship management, showing off, information sharing and habitual behavior. Future research includes the opportunity to incorporate a sample of participants across different cultures to analyze the differences in self-disclosure styles on Instagram. 2 DEDICATION This study is dedicated to Dr. Dan Brown. You were there for me from before my graduate school journey even began. Without you and your continuous care for your students, I’m still not sure I’d know what I am doing. You were there for me through the application process and my dad’s never-ending email conversations with you. You were there pushing me through my first semester with strength and support. I appreciate your love and efforts you made for my peers and I, and you will always be a part of my journey and prayers. Thank you, I know you are smiling down on me from Heaven. God bless you. 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I give all the glory to God, without his guidance I wouldn’t be on the journey I am. Dr. Susan Waters, you have been the greatest mentor to me the last two years. I was given the opportunity to work with you when I entered the program and your support has been the greatest gift of all. Thank you for your dedication and all of the great laughs and conversations. To my committee members: Dr. Stephen Marshall, and Dr. Kelly Rhea-Price, thank you for believing in me and your advice and help with this study. I am thankful for you both joining my team. To staff of the Department of Media & Communication: Georgia and Jo; thank you for helping me with everything with patience and kind smiles. Finally, my complete love and appreciation goes to my parents. Dad, you have always been a rock for me. Even when it seems I would wander astray, you nudged me back on track. Your unending love and faith in me goes beyond anything I could ever give back. You have always guided me in the right direction with love and never-ending faith in me, and I know that if I call you that I will find the answers that I didn’t have before. To Mom, you always did what needed to be done to make sure I was focused. We have had our bumps along the way, but I am grateful for your support and that you are proud of me. I love you both. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................ 1 DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................ 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................................... 3 LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 7 Research Questions ..................................................................................................................... 8 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................................... 9 Social Networking Sites .............................................................................................................. 9 Facebook ..................................................................................................................................... 9 Applied Theories ....................................................................................................................... 10 Presentation of Self on SNS: Facebook .................................................................................... 11 Initial Interactions ..................................................................................................................... 12 Self-Disclosure on Facebook and Other SNS ........................................................................... 15 Previous Research on Instagram ............................................................................................... 16 Instagram Self-Disclosure ......................................................................................................... 16 Instagram in the Workplace ...................................................................................................... 17 Instagram Use and #Hashtags ................................................................................................... 18 Cultural Impacts and Instagram ................................................................................................ 19 Self-Representation on Instagram ............................................................................................. 19 5 Female v Male Interaction Online ............................................................................................ 21 3. METHOD ............................................................................................................................. 23 Method and Procedure .............................................................................................................. 23 Quantitative Survey .................................................................................................................. 23 Sample....................................................................................................................................... 23 Unit of Data collection .............................................................................................................. 23 4. RESULTS ............................................................................................................................. 25 5. DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................................... 31 Discussion of findings ............................................................................................................... 31 Limitations ................................................................................................................................ 32 Future Research ........................................................................................................................ 32 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 33 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 35 APPENDIX: Informed Consent Letter and Questionnaire........................................................ 35 VITA ........................................................................................................................................... 45 6 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Group Means and Standard Deviations for Motivations of Self-Disclosure on Instagram .. 25 2. Group Means and Standard Deviations for Influences of Self-Disclosure on Instagram ..... 26 3. Motivations for Self-Disclosure on Instagram.....................................................................
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